


Dust

by BreakfastTea



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Halloween 2017, Horror, Mild Gore, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 15:03:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12584480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreakfastTea/pseuds/BreakfastTea
Summary: After finishing off a tough hunt, Noctis and the others have to take shelter in an abandoned farmhouse. The owners are missing... Or are they? Why can Noctis see people moving in the dust?





	Dust

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween! I hope you're all having a great day!
> 
> Apologies for any overlooked typos. I edited this with a migraine. Not something I recommend ;)

The battle wasn’t going well. They were pinned down by two Iron Giants, the giant clanking creatures refusing to go down. Pouring rain only made their job harder; the ground underfoot was so slick, they kept falling over.

“We should retreat,” Ignis called out. “Seek shelter until the morning and try again tomorrow when we have recovered our strength.”

“And when it isn’t raining,” Gladio added.

“Doesn’t that mean we’ll just have to start this hunt all over again?” Prompto said. “We should just finish it.”

Noctis launched another Thundaga spell at the Giants, one he’d adapted to cast Stop, too. It hit the daemons. They came to a juddering halt.

“Yes!” Prompto punched the air. “Nice one, Noct!”

Noct wiped rain and sweat from his forehead. “It won’t hold them for long,” he said. He turned to Gladio. “Are we anywhere near a haven?”

“No, and we left the car miles away, too,” Gladio said. “We might have to take shelter in one of those abandoned farm buildings we went past.”

“Yes, I do recall the large abandoned house at the top of the hill,” Ignis said. “We could probably make ourselves comfortable and safe in there for one night.”

“In an abandoned house?” Prompto wailed.

“Could be our only option for tonight,” Gladio said. “Unless you wanna spend the night out here, hunted by every nearby daemon.”

Another option occurred to Noctis. “There’s one other thing we could do.”

A loud, metallic shriek distracted them all. Looking back, they saw the Iron Giants move, their bodies fighting the magic pinning them in time.

“Dammit,” Gladio said. “We need to run.”

“You run,” Noctis said, reaching out to Ramuh. “Take cover in that farmhouse. I’ll catch up.”

“What? We can’t leave you!” Prompto said.

“You can,” Noctis said. The air crackled. Power swelled in him, power that would soon be ripped from him.

Ramuh was on his way. He’d responded to Noctis’ summons.

“Go!” Noctis shouted. “I’ll be fine! Don’t get hit!”

“You really need to control these Astrals better,” Gladio said.

“You try controlling a freaking deity!” Noctis snapped.

“We’ll take cover,” Ignis shouted.

The others ran off. Noctis held on until he couldn’t hold Ramuh back a moment longer. He fell to his knees as Ramuh swept in. Thunder roared from the sky, slamming into the two Iron Giants. The sky lit up and the ground ignited, veins of lava spreading underfoot.

The Iron Giants were gone. Ramuh left Noctis, fading back into the night. Hands clamped around his thighs, Noctis bent double and braced himself, struggling to catch his breath. Summoning wasn’t getting any easier. Astrals were, and always would be, a last-ditch effort. Dizzy with exhaustion, he forced himself onwards towards the abandoned house.

Still, with the Iron Giants gone, they’d completed another hunt. They could collect the bounty in the morning.

Noctis forced tired legs up the hill. He resisted the urge to grab a tree and brace himself. He dug deep and carried on up the hill. He found the others at the top, staring up at the house.

“Hey,” he said, voice ragged and breathless.

“Are you alright?” Ignis asked.

Noctis nodded. “Let’s get to the house.”

The others jogged on ahead. The pace was too much for Noctis, but he kept his mouth shut and dug deep for the last scraps of energy. The house was the largest abandoned building they’d come across in their travels, and Noctis really, really hoped they’d be able to have a quiet night in its cavernous depths.

Noctis approached the house, bringing up the rear. The others were already on the porch, ready to head in. Noctis stepped into the front yard and stopped, nearly losing his footing. He looked down and frowned at the ground. For a moment, he could’ve sworn it was pulsing, like something was coming up from below. He frowned, certain he saw a flash of something. A colour. Dark. Glistening. What was it? He crouched down, fingers outstretched. They touched something warm. Something soft.

“Noct, you coming?” Gladio called.

He snapped his hand back. “Yeah, sorry.”

The door was unlocked. They dashed inside. Dust filled the air, but Noctis didn’t care. They were out of the rain and, hopefully, away from the daemons for the night. His flashlight caught sight of furniture. Whoever had lived here, they’d abandoned the place in a hurry.

“Help me barricade the door,” Gladio said.

“Right,” Prompto said. “Here, the bookcase.”

Noctis ran to his friend’s side and together they shoved the bookcase in front of the door.

“Alright, that should do it,” Gladio said.

“Should we stay in here tonight?” Prompto asked. He shone his light around. “It looks like the owners could come back any minute. Weird.”

“Keep your lights on,” Ignis said. “And I recommend we have a guard at all times.”

“I’ll take first watch,” Gladio said.

“Alright,” Ignis said. “We’ll stay in this room. If anything does happen, we’ll need a quick escape.”

“Should we search the rest of the house?” Prompto asked. “Make sure there’s nothing already in here?”

“Good idea,” Ignis said. “Gladio, Noct, stay here. We won’t be long.”

“Don’t get lost,” Gladio said.

“We won’t!” Prompto said cheerfully.

Ignis and Prompto left. Noctis flopped in a nearby chair. Dust blew up in the air around him. It coiled in the air above him, dancing through the light. He watched it form shapes. Faces. People. They drifted around him. The sound of Gladio searching the room faded away. He heard something else instead. Voices. Whispers. He couldn’t make out the words. In the dust and the shadows, he swore he could see a woman dancing around him. He watched her twirling and spinning. The whispers became laughter. He could hear her, a laughing woman made of –

A sharp nudge in his side startled him. The dust settled against the ground. Noctis looked over and saw Prompto smiling at him. “If you’re tired, there’s a bedroom next door. More comfortable than the chair.”

Noctis frowned at him. “You weren’t gone long.”

“Actually, it took us a while to look around this whole place. You fell asleep. We checked all the rooms upstairs. It’s weird. People must’ve lived here really recently. Kids, too. They had a Malboro plushy. You know, from the anime?”

“Yeah.” Noctis struggled to wake himself up. He hadn’t even noticed drifting off. That probably explained why he’d seen dust dancing around him. He scrubbed his face. “Sorry. Summoning really takes it out of me.” He was exhausted. A tough hunt, topped off with summoning, was a great way to wear himself down to the bone.

“Don’t worry, the house is safe,” Prompto said. “Nothing’s getting in here.”

Noctis wasn’t sure about that. He could feel something, not dissimilar from the touch of magic. It wasn’t necessarily _bad_ , it was just…

“Noct!” Prompto called. “You’re asleep again!”

Opening his eyes, Noctis caught sight of it again. Dancing dust. It took the shape of a person. A man. He stood in the corner of the room, his back to Noctis and the others. Noctis frowned. He felt it again. An undercurrent. Not… not bad. But not right either.

What was it? What was that feeling? Cold but soft. Loud but distant. If he reached for it, tapped into it, would he understand why the dust took the shape of people?

Soft laughter rippled through the air. At first, it sounded like a woman, but it soon took on a deeper, inhuman edge.

_Mother? Mother, no!_

_I’m not your mother, not anymore. Come here, little one. Come here and let me feast on you. Then you’ll dance with me forever!_

“Hey, Ignis? Something’s wrong with Noct.” Prompto stared at his friend’s glassy-eyed gaze. He’d tried calling out to him, but Noctis looked like he was listening intently to something else, something only he could hear.

Ignis stepped over. “Noct?” he said. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Noctis jolted, the woman’s growling and the child’s screaming fading away. The dust surrounding him lost cohesion. It fell apart, and it took the strange undercurrent with it. Noctis blinked. He switched his gaze to Ignis. “Nothing’s wrong,” he said. “I just need to sleep. Ramuh, you know? I’m dreaming with my eyes open.”

“Hallucinating?” Ignis asked.

“No. Dreaming.” Noctis pushed himself to his feet. He caught himself on the back of the chair before he could topple over. “Where’s the bed?”

Prompto took him through to the bedroom next to the lounge. Small but neatly furnished with a double bed, a wardrobe and a vanity table, it also looked like its owner would be back at any minute. Noctis didn’t care about the dust and dirt. He saw the bed, and it called to him louder than an Astral.

“Get some sleep, Noct,” Prompto said.

He mumbled something that could have been a good night and faceplanted onto the mattress. For a few moments, he heard his friends’ voices in the other room talking about him. But they disappeared beneath a tide of other people. Suddenly, all he could hear were the screams of terrified children, the shrieks of a woman, and the bellows of a desperate man. Noctis knew he was dreaming and desperately tried to pull himself free. He knew he needed to wake up, but every time he tried, he hit a brick wall. It stood between him and the waking world.

The dream grabbed him with a hand made of dust and pulled him down, down, down into its depths where screaming children ran down the abandoned farmhouse’s corridors, away from the woman who danced in the lounge.

_Daddy can’t save you now. It’s too late. Too late. All of you belong to me, and I will make you dance with me!_

The dream led him to the lounge. Noctis watched the woman dance. Streams of dust moved around her. One pinned the man to the wall, his back to the room. Noctis could see from the angle of his head that his neck was broken.

Dead. The man, the father, was already dead, his lifeless body pinned to the wall.

 Others drifted out of the doors and windows.

Children’s voices echoed from elsewhere in the farmhouse.

_Leave us alone!_

_Give us back our mother!_

_We don’t want you here._

The woman, or, rather, the creature in the woman, snorted. _You don’t get to tell me to leave!_

The ribbons made of dust stilled in the air. The children’s screams were dragged closer. Noctis watched the dust reel the children in, four in total, and held them in the air. The screamed and struggled, but they couldn’t break free of the dust.

_Now, which one of you wants to join my dance first?_

_Mother, please! Let us go!_

_What’s wrong with Father?_

Noctis leapt at the woman. “Leave them alone!” The Engine Blade appeared in his hand. He swung it at her.

She caught it with a single hand. It didn’t leave so much as a scratch on her palm.

The children faded. The woman turned to Noctis. Her body fizzled at the edges. She wasn’t solid.

Was she made of dust?

_Well, well, well, fresh meat._

The dust grabbed Noctis in a vice-like grip. He couldn’t break it, couldn’t escape. “What are you? What have you done to the children?!”

_The same thing I’ll do to you._ A smirk lifted the corners of her mouth. For a moment, Noctis saw how beautiful a woman she would’ve been.

Then the creature lurking inside her appeared in the cracks tearing through the flesh on her face. Her lips tilted too much. The skin split. Blood oozed out of her nostrils and eyes. Her head tilted to the side, bones popping as her neck bent at an impossible angle.

_You fell into the dream, just like she did, and now you’re mine._

Dust coiled around Noctis’ feet. It snaked around his legs, over his waist, and up his torso until it rested, cold and dirty, on his chin.

_Open wide now._

Noctis clamped his mouth shut. He felt the dust brush over his lips, gritty fingers trying to find a way in.

_You’re going to join me, and so are your friends._

The dust slid into his nostrils, filling his head, filling his chest. It wrapped around him, blinding him to the dream.

The dream. A dream. He had to wake up. Wake up. Wake up!

But he couldn’t escape.

Noctis slept on.

And out in the waking world, no one noticed anything wrong. Ignis checked on Noctis and saw his friend fast asleep. Gladio checked later, saw the same thing. And when Prompto settled himself on the bed beside his friend, the only thing he noticed was how Noctis hadn’t budged an inch.

“Guess you really were just that tired,” Prompto said.

And the night wore on.

***

Dawn broke. Ignis had taken the last watch, and he relished the sunlight breaking through the farmhouse’s windows. He stood and stretched, joints popping and cracking. With the sun up, the daemon threat was gone. He needed to rouse the others.

Gladio was easy; he’d crashed out on the couch in the living room. Ignis called out his name and the man snapped awake.

“We made it?” he asked.

“It was a perfectly quiet night,” Ignis said.

Gladio bounced to his feet. “Great.”

“I’ll get the others,” Ignis said. “And then we can leave.”

“I’ll open the door.” Gladio moved to the bookcase. “Fresh air will do us some good.”

Ignis walked into the bedroom next to the living room. Prompto and Noctis were fast asleep on the double bed. Noctis hadn’t moved an inch; he was still flat on his belly, his face turned to one side. In the past, it had been a sign his back was troubling him, but Ignis suspected this time he’d simply been too exhausted to move.

“Prompto,” Ignis called. “Time to get up.”

Prompto pushed himself upright. He yawned. “We made it?”

“We made it. Nothing came for us during the night.”

“Thank goodness.” Prompto pushed himself to his feet. “Can we go get breakfast now?”

“Definitely.” Ignis turned his attention to Noctis. “Noct, come on. It’s time to get up.”

Nothing.

Prompto laughed. “I’ll leave you to it,” he said, strolling out of the room. “Someone’s gonna be grumpy!”

Ignis frowned at the sight of dust clinging to Noctis’ clothes. Even his hair had a thin coating clinging to it. How had he managed that? Sighing, Ignis grabbed Noctis’ shoulder and shook him, hard. “Wake up.”

No response. Looked like it was going to be one of those mornings.

“If you don’t wake up now, I’ll leave it to Gladio to get you up,” Ignis said.

Noctis jolted awake with a harsh gasp, blue eyes wide.

“Ah,” Ignis said. “There you are.”

“Where is she?” Noctis said. He shot upright. Dust billowed in the air. “She’s here somewhere. We have to get her away from the children!”

“You’re not making any sense,” Ignis said. Honestly, what would it take for Noctis to develop the ability to just get up and go? He grabbed Noctis’ arm and dragged him to his feet. “Come along. We need to get back to the car.”

“No, we can’t leave yet,” Noctis said. He pulled his arm free of Ignis’ grip and looked around, eyes wild. “She’s still here, and she’ll hurt them!”

Frowning, Ignis stopped. He looked at Noctis. “What are you talking about? There’s no one here but the four of us.” He grabbed Noctis’ shoulders. “Look at me.”

Noctis struggled to focus on Ignis. His eyes kept darting to the corners of the room like he was waiting for something to launch itself at him. He had the distinct feeling his dreams had been awful, but the memories fled. Whatever he’d dreamt, it had already slipped away.

Except for the disquiet. The sensation something else remained in the old farmhouse. Something…

“Honestly, Noct, you’re still half asleep. You need to wake up. You’re dreaming. There’s no one else here.”

“You guys alright in there?” Gladio called.

“We’re fine,” Ignis called back.

“One of those mornings, huh?” Gladio said.

“Indeed.”

Noctis blinked. The fear faded. He looked more awake than before. A shadow passed out of his gaze. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and released a huge breath. He coughed slightly, disturbing the dust settled over him. “Sorry.”

Ignis cast a critical gaze over Noctis, but spotted no signs of illness. In fact, he looked the same way he did every morning: pained to be awake. “We’re going to head back to the car. Get some breakfast. Report the completed bounty to the tipster. Alright?”

“Yeah.” Noctis dropped his hands back to his sides. “Nothing attacked us during the night?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry, you didn’t sleep through it.”

Ignis guided him out of the room and they regrouped with the others outside. Gladio pointed them in the direction of the car and they walked. Conversation was sparse, but Ignis breathed a sigh of relief as Noctis engaged fully without any further bizarre comments. By the time they reached the Regalia, he was his usual self again.

Ignis drove to the diner at Taelpar. Inside, they updated the tipster then bought a massive breakfast with some of their earnings.

“You know, while you’re in the area, I have a weirder hunt for you guys,” the tipster said as he carried their breakfast over to them. “I’ve passed it onto a few other hunters, but, well, I gotta be honest with you, most of ‘em keep coming back in a state.”

“A state?” Ignis asked.

“Yeah. Something about ghosts,” the tipster said, topping up Ignis’ coffee. “They’re all wide-eyed and trembling. Like the hunt scarred ‘em for life.” His cheery burst of laughter sounded out of place. “I dunno. Not very hunter-like of ‘em if you ask me.”

“Ghosts?” Prompto asked, his loaded fork halfway between the plate and his mouth.

“More likely its Goblins if you ask me, but they insist it isn’t.”

“Where’s the location?” Noctis asked.

“Old farmhouse out in the woods on top of a hill. Been empty for a year or so now. The family… eh, who knows what happened to them. One day they was there, the next? Gone. Young couple. Bunch of kids. Just took off.”

“Farmhouse?” Noctis said.

“No way,” Prompto said. “The one we were at last night?”

The tipster grabbed a map and tapped the location. “Here.”

“That’s definitely it,” Gladio said. “Nothing weird happened to us.”

Noctis stared at his breakfast. Nothing weird? Was that right? Something scratched at the back of his mind, a memory that evaded recollection every time he reached for it.

“Of course it didn’t,” the tipster said. “There ain’t no ghosts, that’s why. But there’s something there. Could you guys check it out?”

“Don’t see why not,” Gladio said.

The tipster strolled off to help other customers. The group tucked into their breakfast, eating in the companionable silence of four very hungry people. While the others inhaled their food, Noctis tapped his fork on his plate, beating out a waltz. Ignis plucked the cutlery out of Noctis’ hand.

Noctis used a finger to tap instead. One-two-three. One-two-three.

“A waltz, Noct?” Ignis asked.

“Mmm.” One-two-three. One-two-three.

“Didn’t you have to teach him how to dance?” Gladio asked, grinning.

“Thankfully no. I sought out the expertise of one far more capable of withstanding heavy blows to the feet.”

Prompto snorted. “Noct’s that bad?”

Noctis didn’t respond. He kept tapping it out. One-two-three. One-two-three.

“Less music, more eating,” Ignis said. “If we’re headed back to the farmhouse, I’d rather not do it on an empty stomach, especially if we’ll have to wait until nightfall for daemons.”

“No, not daemons. People made of dust,” Noctis said.

“Noct?” Prompto asked.

Everyone stared at Noctis, but he didn’t notice. His eyes were clouded, staring out of the window and into distance. He frowned and raised his hand to massage his temples.

“Headache?” Ignis asked.

“No,” Noctis said. “Not really. A memory. Except I can’t remember it.”

“Do you know something about that house?” Ignis asked. “Something you’re not telling us?”

“I thought… I could see… in the dust, I mean. People. I could see...” Noctis’ words trailed off. He hummed to himself, a strange waltz with a melancholic edge.

Ignis nudged him. “Ghosts?”

“Hmm? Maybe,” Noctis said.

“Ghosts aren’t real,” Prompto said, a slight edge of panic in his voice.

“Yeah, they are,” Gladio said.

“Uh, you can see ghosts?” Prompto asked Noctis.

Noctis shrugged, still humming.

“No, no, I need more than that!” Prompto said. “You see ghosts. Actual dead people?”

No response. Noctis propped his chin on his hand, hooded eyes staring into the distance. He continued to hum.

Ignis picked up the story. “On occasion, Noct saw spirits in the Citadel. Not often. His father saw the same. Long gone people moving through the halls. I suspect it has something to do with their connection to the crystal.”

“Ghosts in the Citadel,” Prompto said. He sighed. “I don’t think I needed to know that.”

“They won’t hurt you,” Ignis said. “That’s what King Regis said.”

“She might,” Noctis said.

“Who?” Gladio asked.

“She’s dancing.” Noctis could see it. See them. A family. Parents. Children. Night covered them. No. Not night. The sun shone so brightly above the dust. It cut them off from the light. From the warmth. Dust closed around the house. The world took on a strange, orange tinge. Mother went out with a broom, but she came back wrong. So wrong.

_What’s wrong with Mother?_

_It’s not Mother. It’s a monster._

_No, not a monster. No such thing._

_But Father’s…_

_Shh! It’ll find us!_

Noctis breathed. He could taste dust on his tongue, thick and old. His skin itched like he’d coated himself in it. The sound of a woman’s laughter filled his ears.

_Why is she laughing? It isn’t funny! I don’t like it! I want it to go away!_

_Mother?_

_Isn’t it wonderful? Look at this! Watch how it dances. Just like me._

_What’s wrong with Mother?_

Music filled the air. A gentle waltz. Soft and romantic.

Sad, like it hurt to love in such a way.

_Everything will be just fine. You just have to dance!_

In the darkness and the dust, Noctis saw Mother move. Her skirt swung through the air. It swung even as the first of the children began to scream.

“ – me? Noct!”

He blinked. The vision faded. He looked up and saw Ignis staring at him, panic shining in his eyes. Looking around, Noctis realised he was still in the diner. He cleared his throat and pulled back. “Sorry. Must’ve fallen asleep.”

“No, I don’t think so,” Ignis said.

“What was that?” Gladio demanded.

Noctis rubbed the back of his head. “Uh… what was what?”

“You spaced out,” Prompto said. “You were dreaming with your eyes open.”

“What were you talking about?” Ignis asked. “You spoke of people in the dust.”

“Yeah, at the house.”

Ignis, Prompto and Gladio’s eyes flicked between each other’s.

Noctis scrubbed at his gritty eyes. “You didn’t see them last night?”

“No,” Gladio said. “Because nobody else was there. Just us.”

Noctis poked his untouched breakfast. “No,” he said. “You’re wrong about that.” He closed his eyes, saw shadows dancing behind them. “I think maybe I dreamt about them. But I can’t remember.”

“Noct!” Ignis called.

“Huh?” He looked up. “What?”

“We’re not taking the hunt,” Ignis said. “I don’t think it would be wise.”

Noctis shrugged. “Fine. Whatever.” There would be plenty more hunts they could take on. Plus they had supplies to drop off at Lestallum’s market. They could find a way of making money there.

They finished breakfast. Or the others did. Noctis pushed his around his plate, mind on other things. His whole body itched, like the dust had wormed its way under his skin. He scratched, but it didn’t help. He nibbled his food, the others’ conversation floating around him. In his ears, he heard music. Music, the howl of a dust storm, and the thin, frightened crying of a small child.

_It took Mother, and now she’ll take us all._

_No. NO!_

A hand clapped down on Noctis’ shoulder. He jolted and looked up. Gladio stared down at him. “You gonna join us or what?”

He looked and saw Ignis and Prompto already outside heading back to the car. Shaking himself, Noctis slid off his chair.

“Wow. You need a shower.”

“What?”

Gladio pointed at the chair. “You left an imprint.”

Noctis looked back. Dust sprinkled his seat. He reached out and traced a finger through it.

Gladio rolled his eyes, grabbed Noctis and dragged him outside. “You should get some more sleep. You’re really out of it today.”

“It’s stuck to me,” Noctis said.

“What is?”

He rubbed his arms, dislodging more dust. “The thing in that house.”

“If there’s something in that house, it’s just a bunch of harmless ghosts,” Gladio said. “Don’t let your imagination get the better of you.”

Gladio headed out. Noctis looked at the dusty imprint one more time before following his friend outside. Ignis and Prompto were already standing by the Regalia, ready to go. Gladio jogged over to join them. Noctis moved, but the air around him felt strange. Thick, like it was full of something.

Full of dust.

His vision washed out in a grey haze. The car, the rest stop, the gas pumps faded from sight. The house replaced it. It stood in front of him, tall and normal against a strange orange sky. The front door opened and a woman ran out. She had a broom in her hands, held like a weapon ready to strike. Noctis watched her swing at the air.

_Get back! Stay away from my family, you bastard!_

At first, Noctis couldn’t see it. He couldn’t see what she aimed at.

Then the air moved. A shimmering stream of dust danced around her. It circled her. She swung at it, only for her broom to pass through uselessly.

A chorus of giggles hit the air. _You can’t kill what you can’t find!_

The woman redoubled her efforts.

The ground in front of her cracked open. Something pushed up. Something crimson, bloody and pulsing.

The woman crept closer. The thing rose from the ground, beating and throbbing, dripping with gore. She turned her head to call out to her husband.

A thick tentacle shot out of the ground and ran her through.

She grunted, unable to breathe, unable to cry out for help.

And before anyone found her, before she managed to pull herself free, the dust descended upon her.

She collapsed under its weight.

The sound of something heavy hitting the ground distracted Ignis, Gladio and Prompto from their conversation. The three looked over and saw Noctis on the ground.

“Noct!” Prompto got there first. “Hey, you okay? Wake up!”

Noctis didn’t react. He laid, crumpled on the ground. Gladio reached over to lift him, but he pulled his hand back. “What the hell?”

“What is it?” Ignis asked.

Gladio held up a dusty hand. “It’s all over him.”

“Get him in the car,” Ignis said.

Gladio lifted Noctis over his shoulder and carried him to the car. He set him down gently, but Noctis showed no signs of awakening. Ignis shook him, hard, but Noctis slept on.

“This is weird,” Prompto said. “Look at his hair.” He reached out to ruffle it. Dust rained out. “Is this… is it all from that house?”

Ignis looked pensive. “I’d rather not take Noct back there, not when he can’t defend himself.”

“What do you want to do instead?” Prompto asked. “Find a doctor in Lestallum?”

“No,” Ignis said. “I think we may have better luck with Dave.”

Gladio nodded. “I’ll call him.”

Fat drops of rain fell from the cloud-thickened sky. It hit Noctis, sending grey streaks down his pale skin.  The others jumped in the car. The roof came up. Gladio called Dave, putting the phone on speaker. When he answered, Gladio quickly explained the situation.

“ _I’ve never heard of anything like it,”_ Dave said.

“Nothing at all?” Prompto asked, trying not to sound too defeated.

“ _Not… well, alright, I can think of one thing that’s kinda close to what you’re talking about, but it’s a myth. A legend. Not exactly something I’ve ever had people hunt down_.”

“What is it?” Gladio asked.

“ _I wanna stress to you guys this is a legend._ ”

Prompto wanted to say ‘you’re talking to people working with a prince who communicates with literal deities’, but he held his tongue.

“We’re listening,” Ignis said.

“ _It’s called a Sand Golem. It can create countless forms out of sand, and nothing you do will kill it unless you find its core. And ‘cause it knows that, it hides its core. Never too far away, because otherwise it’ll lose control over its golems, but not immediately obvious._ ’

“Is it a daemon?” Gladio asked.

“ _It’s a myth,_ ” Dave said. “ _So who knows. Maybe it’s a daemon, maybe it’s a regular monster. But if you boys have found one, remember, attacking the sand won’t stop it. You gotta find the core.”_

“Find the core, got it.” Gladio looked at the others. They nodded. “Thanks, Dave.”

“ _You be sure to get me a photo or two if you actually see this damn thing. Won’t believe it’s real ‘til I see proof._ ”

“Photos, got it,” Prompto said.

The call ended. Ignis started the car. “Keep trying to wake Noct,” he said. “We’re going back to that house.”

“Any idea where the core might be?” Prompto asked.

“That’s if it is what Dave thinks it might be,” Gladio said. “None of us saw anything there last night.”

“All the more reason to wake Noct up,” Ignis said. “He’s the only one who noticed anything.”

“Waking him up is tough enough on a good day,” Gladio said grimly. He rubbed his palms together. “Desperate times, desperate measures.”

The sound of his hand meeting Noctis’ cheek rang across the car.

***

_The woman, or rather the shape of her, returned to her family. None of them saw her bloodstained hands. None of them heard her jabbering giggles. She went to the kitchen to wash off the blood._

_Dust trickled off her. It trickled from her nose and ears. She giggled and giggled, and when she didn’t giggle, she hummed and swayed to a beat ringing through her head._

_Her husband found her first._

_“Did you kill it?” he asked her. “Are you alright?”_

_“Dance for me,” she told him._

_“What?” He laughed nervously. “I thought I heard you shouting.”_

_“You did,” she said. She twirled around, revealing the hole in her chest where the creature had run her through. “You heard her screaming. But now she’s mine. And soon, you will be too.”_

_“Kids!” He shouted. “Run! Get out of the house!”_

_“No, no, no, I can’t have that!” Dust swirled out of her. “Dance for me.”_

_Father was the first to die, drowned by dust pouring down his throat, filling up his lungs._

Noctis slammed awake, face stinging, eyes blurry. He coughed, his mouth tasting like he’d chewed food made of dust. He blinked hard to clear his vision, pressing a hand to his sore face.

“You with us?”

He squinted, and Gladio’s face swam into focus. “Wha –” His voice choked off. He hacked out a mouthful of dust.

Gladio turned to Ignis. “Hurry up.”

“Here.” Prompto handed a bottle of water over. “Drink up.”

Noctis downed the whole bottle. When he came up for air, he could talk again. “We have to go back to the house.”

“We are,” Ignis said.

“Are we gonna have to deal with ghosts?” Prompto asked.

Noctis shook his head. “It’s a monster. A daemon maybe.” He coughed. He rubbed his itchy chest. His whole body crawled as though the dust had worked its way inside him. He squirmed in his chair. It didn’t help. “It killed a whole family. Used the mother to trap the others.”

“Used the mother?” Ignis asked. “How?”

“You don’t wanna know.” Noctis shuddered at the memory.

“Dave said it might be a sand golem,” Prompto said. “Said the only way to kill it is to find the core.”

“Core?” An image of the pulsing red thing beneath the ground shot through Noctis’ mind. “I think I know where it is.”

Ignis turned onto a dirt track leading to the old house. The car bumped along, windscreen wipers attacking the rain. The headlights hit the front of the house. “We’re here.”

They climbed out of the car. Rain lashed them, a hefty storm brewing overhead.

“Where’s the core?” Gladio asked.

“It’s under –”

The dust inside him rose up to choke him off. His voice gave out. He couldn’t stop coughing. Couldn’t get enough air. Gladio grabbed him and thumped his back. A huge plume of dust hit the air. It swirled around them, taking the forms of children.

_Dance with us._

Gladio swung at them, but it was hopeless. The split apart and drifted around him, giggling and laughing.

Noctis dragged in a lungful of air. “It’s underground.” The words came out in a harsh, terrible asthmatic wheeze. “It’s right outside –”

The house tremored.

“Uh, guys –” Prompto pointed. “What’s that?”

A huge tide of dust exploded out of every window, every door, even out of the chimney. It wrapped itself around them, cutting them off from daylight. Figures took shape and walked towards them; a woman, a man and three children.

_Dance with us._

“The core, Noct! Where is it?” Ignis shouted.

“Under the ground outside the house!”

_No! You can’t tell them that! Hush!_

The sand launched at Noctis, battering him. He staggered back. The dust kept him from reaching his friends. He couldn’t open his eyes. Every breath pulled dust into his lungs. Into his body.

“Find the core,” Ignis ordered. “It’s the only way to stop it. Hurry!”

“Okay!” Prompto said.

“Hang in there, Noct,” Gladio said. “We’ve got this.”

The others ran to the front of the house, looking for the core. Noctis fell to his knees, arms covering his face. The dust pressed him, its fingers seeking out his mouth, his nose. Well-trained instincts kicked in, told him to protect himself in ways the average person couldn’t. His weapons were useless, but his magic wasn’t. He pulled a Blizzard flask out of the Armiger and threw it.

The magic hit the dust, freezing everything it touched. Noctis swung out with his fist, smashing himself free. He saw his friends digging into the pulsing ground.

The core.

The heart of the Sand Golem.

_Dust_ Golem.

Freeze it. They needed to freeze it. Noctis drew a breath to shout, but his throat was too dry for words. He pulled another flask free of the Armiger. Blizzaga this time. His only one. But he couldn’t use it with his friends so close to the core. Such powerful magic would do serious damage.

The ice behind him cracked. The dust wormed its way free. It brushed his foot. He looked down and saw hands, children’s hands, curling around his ankle.

_Stay with us._

_Be with us._

_Be us._

_Dance._

No. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. This creature, whatever it was, had taken innocent people and consumed them. He clenched his teeth, heart aching for the children who’d been consumed by the thing that had murdered their parents.

“I think I found it!” Prompto yelled.

_Don’t let them hurt us._

The dust closed around him again. The world faded behind a screen of dust. The hands grabbed him. Dust launched itself down his throat. It gathered in his chest. He couldn’t dislodge it. It moved around his heart and pressed against his ribs. Muscles and sinew stretched. Had he been able to breathe, he would’ve shouted in agony. Instead, he was pinned in place, unable to move.

The dust was inside him.

_Don’t let them kill us._

_We’re scared!_

_Stay with us._

_Your friends can stay, too._

_Forever._

Noctis watched Gladio pull out his Greatsword. He was too slow. Thick, dripping tentacles shot out of the core. Noctis watched his friends dodge out of the way, avoiding being impaled.

“Keep back!” Gladio shouted. “Don’t let them hit you.”

Ignis and Prompto did as they were told. Both summoned their weapons out of the Armiger.

_Don’t let them hurt us!_

_Stop them!_

The dust coiled around him, forcing his body to move. Noctis felt his arm move against his will. It raised up, ready to throw the flask at his friends. His vision cleared enough to watch the others fighting.

_We won’t let them hurt us._

Prompto shot at the core. Screams filled Noctis’ head.

_We’ll take your heart! You’ll become us!_

Ignis sliced through a tentacle. Gladio did the same. The three of them closed in on the bloody core, dodging and ducking as it launched more tentacles. It came further out of the ground, its sludgy, glistening body putrid and foul. It left the cover of the ground in a desperate bid to protect itself.

Or to distract the others from what was really happening.

The dust inside Noctis grabbed his heart and pulled. He cried out, but a thick ribbon made of dust muted him. His heart strained. It felt like it would dislocate under the force of the dust’s might. He wanted to shout at the others to hurry, but he couldn’t. And with the dust inside him, it wouldn’t matter. The creature would replace one core with another.

He had to stop it. In the same instant his friends’ killed the core, Noctis would have to stop the dust. If he didn’t, he would die. His friends would swiftly follow.

He wouldn’t let the Dust Golem take more lives.

His hand still gripped the Blizzaga flask. All he had to do was release it. Not throw it. Drop it. Onto himself.

_Dance with us._

The core had nothing left. It slumped, blood and pus oozing from it.

Noctis tasted a thick, metallic tang at the back of his throat. The dust clenched his heart, the pain sending jolts of electricity shooting through his body.

_Join us, take them, and no one will ever leave again. We’ll be together._

“Now!” Gladio bellowed. “Take it out!”

Noctis watched his friends move in for the kill.

His heart stopped.

He dropped the flask.

The core died.

The rain froze, droplets of ice pelting the ground.

Ice burned Noctis’ body. He’d never been the focal point of his own magical attack before. Blizzaga hit him with the full force of the deepest, coldest winter. His skin burned. Heat fled. And inside his head, the dust screamed. It loosened its grip on his heart and fled his body, desperately seeking warmth.

But it no longer had a core.

It hit the air, froze, and died.

The voices disappeared from Noctis’ head. His consciousness faded.

A bitter blast of cold magic grabbed the others’ attention. Ignis was the first to turn to Noctis, to ensure his friend was alright. What he saw stole his breath away.

Dust exploded out of Noctis, but it fell like snow.

“Noct!” he shouted.

Ignis ran to Noctis side, catching him as his legs gave out. He was so cold to the touch, more a block of ice than a living human being.

“Breathe,” Ignis said. He put his ear to Noctis’ chest and heard a sluggish beat. “Breathe, Noct!”

Noctis drew in a shallow, ragged breath. His skin was blue, the tips of his hair frosted over. His eyes were closed, but he was alive. Ignis noticed the blood staining Noctis’ lips. He’d bled from the mouth, from the nose, even from the ears.

“The dust,” Gladio said. “He froze it out of himself.”

“He’s too cold,” Ignis said. “If we don’t warm him up, he won’t survive.”

“We’re not staying here,” Prompto said.

“Agreed.” Gladio picked Noctis up. “I’ll get him in the car. Prompto, grab blankets. Ignis, get us to the nearest motel. Move!”

Two minutes later, they were back on the road.

***

He heard the waltz. It filled the farmhouse. He followed the sound of it to the lounge. Mother and Father danced, surrounded by their enraptured children.

Outside the windows, a dark wind howled.

The song played out, the waltz moving from a sad lilt, through a hopeful passage, to a joyous crescendo. When it ended, the children applauded. Their parents smiled at each other, caught up in their memories.

“And that, kids, is how I captured your mother’s heart,” Father said, chuckling. “I simply swept her off her feet!” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

Mother pulled back with a fond smile. “It’s true. That’s how I knew you were mine.”

“Teach us, teach us!” their children chorused.

“We will,” Father said. “When you’re a little older.”

The storm strengthened.

“We should deal with that, my love,” Mother said.

“Not today,” Father replied. “It’ll blow over tomorrow. It has to.”

“We’re running low on supplies,” Mother said. “We can’t stay here.”

“No!” Father shouted. “You can’t fight it!”

The children’s joy faded to fear.

“No more distractions, no matter how wonderful.” Mother grabbed a broom. “Stay here,” she said. “I’ll stop it.”

She stepped outside.

And when she came back in, something else had taken control of her body.

Her husband died.

The Dust Golem hunted her children down, one by one, and took their forms into itself.

_Dance with me._

“Noct?”

The familiar voice called out across his dream. He turned away from the sight of Mother. The dream fell apart. In its place, he saw a motel room. In place of a family, he saw a friend.

“You awake?” Gladio asked, his deep voice staying low.

Noctis nodded. He felt buried. Shifting, he realised a mound of blankets covered him. His memory slowly returned. The dust. Magic. Freezing himself to save himself. He rubbed his aching chest. “That was close,” he said, voice nothing more than a whisper.

“Yeah,” Gladio said. “Way too close.”

Noctis thought about sitting up, but he was far too cosy. “Where’s the others?”

Gladio laughed. “You mean you can’t feel your human hot water bottle?”

Noctis looked over his shoulder and found Prompto fast asleep behind him.

“Body heat,” Gladio said. “You were severely hypothermic.”

“Oh.” Noctis smiled fondly. Prompto was a good friend. A good, currently snoring friend. “Where’s Ignis?”

“Making soup. The diner owner didn’t seem to mind.”

Noctis nodded.

“So, that creature. It killed the people who lived in the house?”

Noctis ignored the fleeting fear racing through his chest. “Yeah.”

“And you could… see that?”

“I guess.”

“That happen a lot?” Gladio asked. “You having… what… visions?”

Noctis shrugged. He hadn’t told anyone about that other vision, the one of him… the one of Luna… the one where he…

“Dad said the king would sometimes see things from the future,” Gladio said.

Noctis said nothing.

“At least you’re not covered in dust anymore,” Gladio said.

“Yeah.”

“And for a guy who only just woke up, you’re making more sense than you usually do.”

“Ha ha.”

The motel room’s door opened and Ignis came in, carrying a pair of large flasks on a tray alongside four bowls and four spoons. “Good evening,” he said.

“Hi,” Noctis said.

“Feeling better?” Ignis asked. “You’ve been asleep all day.”

“I feel warm.”

“Good. Can you get up? You should eat. Replenish your strength.”

Noctis managed to shift himself free of the blankets without waking Prompto. He took a bowl of soup, relishing its gently spiced smell. “Sorry for causing so much trouble,” he said.

“It’s alright,” Ignis said. “How were you to know what was in that house?” He handed over a bowl of soup. “That family is at peace now.”

“I guess,” Noctis said. “They weren’t ghosts. That creature, daemon, whatever… it copied them. It nearly copied us.” He rubbed his sore chest. His heart felt bruised. It ached with every beat. “I hope we don’t come across anymore of those.”

“Not sure Prompto will agree,” Gladio said, taking a bowl. “Dave asked for photos, but he didn’t capture any.”

“Seriously?” Noctis asked. “But he always gets photos mid battle. It’s his thing.”

“Not this time,” Ignis said. “Every image he captured was just a haze of grey. No way to prove anything.”

“Oh.”

"Don't remind me," Prompto said from behind Noctis. "What a missed opportunity!" He sighed as he sat up. "So disappointing."

“It would seem this is one legend that will remain exactly that,” Ignis said, passing a bowl of soup of Prompto.

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t murder anymore families,” Noctis said.

They ate the rest of their soup in silence.

**Author's Note:**

> One of my favourite things about exploring the world of FFXV is stumbling upon all those abandoned buildings. Ever since I played it back in the summer, I knew I'd have to write a fic like this.
> 
> PS: the Sand Golem is one of my favourite monsters from FFIX. This version was a bit more sinister however. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading!


End file.
